Teen sexual behavior presents physicians and families with a perplexing set of problems due to the developing psychological and physical state of teens coupled with the risk of venereal disease and unwanted pregnancies from unsafe sex. Wolters Kluwer Health
writes that adolescents vary in their ability to implement various types of contraception.
From a developmental perspective, sexually active girls in early adolescence are viewed as having difficulty planning events and activities. They also generally have an idealistic point of view, they often think about situations in a concrete or literal way, and they often live in the moment. Therefore, implementing a contraceptive method which requires planning and forethought to prevent the possibility of pregnancy is hard at this age without monitoring and adult support. Nancy Walsh has reported on Feb. 25, 2013 for MedPage Today, Program Boosts Teens' Use of Contraception.
Researchers found that a multifaceted 18-month program for adolescent girls at high risk for pregnancy led to a more consistent use of contraception. According to Renee E. Sieving, RN, PhD, of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and colleagues, the girls who participated in this program reported using condoms with their sexual partners all or most of the time in 1.53 of the previous 6 months, in comparison with 0.93 months in controls. The girls who participated in this program also used hormonal contraceptives more consistently, in 3.29 months, in comparison with 2.34 months in controls. Although the rates of teen pregnancy have fallen in recent years, at least 750,000 U.S. adolescents become pregnant every year. This generally sets the stage for lifelong difficulties associated with less education and lower income for the young mothers.
In order to help at-risk adolescent girls avoid becoming pregnant, "a program named Prime Time has been designed for use in primary care clinics with the goals of teaching teens about sexual risks, prevention of violence and aggression, and encouraging connectedness to home and school." The participants were each assigned to a case manager, and during monthly one-on-one sessions the teen's individual needs and interests were carefully explored and addressed. The consistency of contraceptive use and other responsible sexual behaviors were emphasized during these regular sessions, and condoms were provided.
The study was made up of 253 girls ages 13 to 17 who are considered to be at risk for various reasons such as having undergone treatment for a sexually transmitted infection, exhibiting aggressive behavior, or school avoidance, along with 318 controls. Sieving and colleagues have said, "Results from this study suggest that involvement in a youth development intervention that combines individualized case management and youth leadership components holds great promise for preventing multiple risk behaviors among youth most vulnerable to poor health outcomes, including early pregnancy."
